


Break in

by NewbieFanFic



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Child Abandonment, F/M, Minor Violence, Parent Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:33:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26595286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewbieFanFic/pseuds/NewbieFanFic
Summary: Losing someone you love hurts. Deeply. Felicity Smoak learned that hard way when she was only nine years old. When that person is one of the first people who is meant to love you unconditionally, makes the pain that much deeper. It was this pain that made Felicity determined to never allow anyone close enough to hurt her again, even if she didn’t fully realise she was doing it. From that moment on she kept everyone at a distance. Even her mother. She tried to rationalise it with their different personalities, but deep down she knew it was just a defence mechanism.That is, until a certain handsome FBI agent knocked on her door early one gloomy Wednesday morning.
Relationships: John Diggle & Felicity Smoak, John Diggle & Oliver Queen, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 146
Kudos: 241





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It has been a while since I posted anything, so it was kinda great when the idea for this story became more than just an idea. I think the original idea came to me some time last year already, but it wasn't until I re-heard Break in by Halestorm ft Amy Lee (give it a listen, it's awesome) when the story started filling in. I hope you, dear reader, enjoys it.

**_ Chapter 1: _ **

_Put your lighter in the air and lead me back home  
When it's all said and done and follow where the air goes  
  
(_ **_Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee_ ** _)_

****

Losing someone you love hurts. Deeply. Felicity Smoak learned that hard way when she was only nine years old. When that person is one of the first people who is meant to love you unconditionally, makes the pain that much deeper. It was this pain that made Felicity determined to never allow anyone close enough to hurt her again, even if she didn’t fully realise she was doing it. From that moment on she kept everyone at a distance. Even her mother. She tried to rationalise it with their different personalities, but deep down she knew it was just a defence mechanism.

That is, until a certain handsome FBI agent knocked on her door early one gloomy Wednesday morning.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felicity Smoak was distracted. It didn’t happen very often, but today her mind was on the code she had been working on for a week, instead of getting ready for work. After spending 10 minutes staring at her ceiling when her alarm went off, she mentally scolded herself and tried to focus on getting dressed. When she realised she had been standing with her dress in her hand instead of making any progress, she shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Determined to not have her side project derail her day, she walked into her bathroom and with quick, almost angry movements, dressed and did her make up. She was in her kitchen, waiting for her coffee maker to finish, when a knock at her front door made her jump. She sighed, thinking it was probably her neighbour, looking for her cat again. She didn’t even check the peephole before opening her front door and saying:

‘Mrs. Rayhase, I’m sorry, I still haven’t seen your cahhh…’

Instead of her neighbour, there was a confused looking handsome man standing at her door. Felicity could feel her jaw drop open as she took in his familiar looking short blonde hair, his slightly raised eyebrows, clear blue eyes, the somehow perfect amount of scruff on his jaw and the small smile on his lips. Her eyes had started to travel down, over his broad shoulders when a man behind him cleared his throat. He was a slightly older, also very handsome man, with a bemused smile on his lips. She snapped her mouth closed as she realised she had been staring at them in silence.

‘You’re not Mrs Rayhase’ was the first thing that came to mind.

Felicity thought she heard a quiet chuckle from the man at the back, but her eyes were still on the blonde man at her door.

‘Felicity Smoak?’

Felicity took her hand from the door and crossed her arms in front of her before asking:

‘Who’s asking?’

The man at the door reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a dark wallet. He flipped it open and showed her a badge.

‘Oliver Queen, FBI.’

Turning slightly towards and pointing to the man at the back, he continued.

‘This is my partner, John Diggle. Ms Smoak, could we come in. We need to speak to you.’

Felicity looked first at Oliver and then John badges, but she did not move from where she was standing.

Looking back at Oliver she instead asked:

‘What would the FBI have to speak to me about?

‘It’s about your father, Noah Cutter.’

Hearing his named spoken out loud, Felicity inhaled sharply, as if she had been burned. She felt a sharp pain, as if someone stabbed her in the heart. She grabbed hold of the door again and put her other hand over her heart. It was a moment before she could reply.

‘I, … I haven’t seen or spoken to my father for 15 years, Agent Queen. I don’t see how we can have anything to talk about.’

‘Ms. Smoak, I really think it would be better if we talked inside.’

After a few seconds, Felicity nodded her head once, turned and left the door open for Oliver and John to follow her. She did not see the look that passed between the two agents before stepping into her apartment. As John was closing the door behind him, Felicity sat down on the purple chair in front of the window, leaving the couch for the two agents to sit on. She didn’t look at the two men standing in her living room, instead looking at her hands where they were clasped together in front of her. After a quick look around the living room, Oliver sat down across from her and leaned slightly forward before beginning.

‘Ms Smoak, as I ment…’

‘Felicity.’

‘Excuse me?’

Felicity seemed to be talking to her hands as she replied:

‘Please, call me Felicity. My mom is Ms Smoak. I’m just Felicity.’

Oliver raised his eyebrows slightly again, before nodding once and continued.

‘Felicity, as I mentioned, this is about your father. When was the last time you saw him?’

‘Fifteen years ago, the morning he left my mother and me without so much as a note.’ Felicity still had not looked at him as she said this. She took her glasses off and rubbed the bridge of her nose before continuing.

‘So, again, if you’re looking for him I really am one of the last people who would be able to help you. Which, if you knew me and what I am capable of, is really saying a lot. Believe me, I’ve tried finding him. I mean, the skills I have I should have been able to find him years ago, so it’s a bit of a personal sore spot that I haven’t found him yet. Which is not something you needed to know.’

Oliver looked at his partner before saying:

‘Felicity, we know exactly where your father is. That is not why we are here.’

Felicity’s head snapped up at that, looking him straight in the eye.

‘What? Where is he?’

‘Two days ago, your father walked into the Starling City FBI headquarters and handed himself over.’

Felicity could feel her jaw drop open again. She didn’t know what part of what Oliver said was more confusing. Starling City? Her father was in Starling City? He was in the same city as her. And he handed himself over to the FBI? For what? Why now? What had her father gotten himself into that he would give himself over to the FBI after disappearing for 15 years?

‘I, what? Why? I don’t understand, if he’s in your custody, what are you doing here?’ Felicity looked from Oliver to John as she asked.

John had been watching them quietly speak as he stood by the door. For the first time, he spoke:

‘We’re here because we need you to come with us, Felicity. Your father has gotten himself involved with some very dangerous people and as a result, you and your mother are in danger.’

Felicity felt even more confused:

‘My mom, what does my mom have to do with this? Wait, is she safe? Where is my mom? Do you have her? And why would we be in danger? My father walked out on us, we haven’t been a part of his life for a decade and a half.’

As Felicity’s eyes snapped back to Oliver as she asked this. Oliver clasped his hands together, a mirror of what Felicity had done earlier.

‘First, your mother is safe, a few agents picked her up this earlier this morning. Felicity, what you need to understand is this: your father has been on the FBI’s radar for the last ten years. Your father has been involved in almost every major electronic crime that has been committed in the last decade. We haven’t been able to so much as identify him, never mind catch him, but his electronic signature has been all over these crimes. At least, the ones we are aware of. So it is fair to say we were very surprised when he handed himself over. He offered to give up most, if not all his associates. However, he had a few conditions. The first one was that we agreed to provide you and your mother with protection. I don’t know what we need to protect you from, but I am sure, that for a man that has been so good at staying one step ahead of us for so long, to give himself over willingly, it has got to be serious.’

Felicity was quiet as she listened to Oliver speak, and he could see her hands start to tremble as he spoke. Oliver got up from the couch and sat down on the coffee table in front of her. He placed his hand over hers’ as he continued in a softer tone.

‘Felicity, know this is a lot and I’m sure you have a lot of questions, unfortunately I don’t have all the answers. But, if you come with us, I promise we’ll do everything we can to keep you and your mother safe. And we might be able to help you get some of those answers.’

Felicity was looking at his hand over hers, but her eyes locked onto his when he said this.

‘What do you mean?’

It was John who answered her:

‘The other condition your father had was that he wanted to speak to you Felicity. We’re here to take you to see him before taking you somewhere safe.’

Felicity sat back in her chair, her hands falling into her lap, looking even more confused. She was quiet for a few seconds, before standing up and moving to the side of the couch before asking:

‘Is there time to pack?’

At the two agents surprised expressions she continued:

‘The way I see it, this is a mystery. I hate mysteries, they need to be solved. And the only way to solve it is to go with you. And if I’m going with you, I’ll need to make a few calls and pack.’

As Oliver started to get up from the table, opening his mouth to say something, Felicity held up her hand and said:

‘Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone I’m going with the FBI, but I do have a life here and a job. And if I want to come back to it when this is all over, I need to make some arrangements.’

Oliver put his hands in his pockets, looked at his partner and when John gave him a small nod, he looked back at Felicity with a small smile.

‘Fair enough, but we will have to go soon. The longer we take to get started, the longer it will take to get you back to your life.’

Felicity smiled and moved past Oliver towards her room.

‘Okay, give me five minutes.’

As she disappeared into her room, John came to stand next to Oliver and said:

‘You sure we can keep her safe? I get the feeling whoever is after them is pretty serious.’

Oliver didn’t turn to look at him as he replied:

‘I’m sure that I will do everything I can to keep my promise.’


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To say that I was blown away by the response to the first chapter, would be an understatement. Thank you SO much to everyone who read/leave kudos/commented/bookmarked this story. You are awesome!  
> My plan was to post the second chapter next week, but your excitement has made me even more excited to share more of this story with you. I will however only be posting Chapter 3 some time next week, until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**_ Chapter 2: _ **

_I hear you night after night calling out my name  
And I'm finding myself running to meet you_

_(_ **_Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee_ ** _)_

**__ **

True to her word, 5 minutes later Felicity was standing in her living room, a small case and backpack in her hands. She had not really paid too much attention to the clothes she grabbed, but she made sure to grab her laptop and tablet. As nice as Oliver and John was to her, she didn’t think the FBI was going to share what it is her father was involved with. And if they didn’t want to share, well she’ll just have to find the information her own way. Even if her way wasn’t strictly legal. What the FBI doesn’t know, won’t get her arrested.

Oliver was looking at the photos on the wall, while John was still standing close to her door, speaking on the phone when she came into the room. Considering she was not going to work anymore, she had also changed into her jeans, t shirt and black leather jacket. Putting the backpack on the couch, she moved to her shoe rack and grabbed her sneakers before quickly putting on her shoes. Oliver turned from the pictures he had been studying as John hung up his call and smiled at her.

‘Okay, I’m ready’ she said, standing up front the couch when she was done and looking at Oliver expectantly.

‘Perfect. That was the office, confirming your mom has reached her safe house’ John said as he put his phone back in his suit pocket.

‘Her safe house? Aren’t we going to the same place?’

‘It will be safer to not have you both at the same location. Try not to worry, I know one of the agents that will be looking after your mom. We were in Quantico together, she’s one of the best. I promise, we’re not going to let anything happen to her’ John said as he moved to pick up her case.

‘My mom is going to be freaking out if she doesn’t talk to me. Is there any way that I could call her?’

Felicity asked as she looked from John to Oliver.

‘Any contact with the safe house could be risky, but we’ll try to set something up when we get to the office. Speaking of which, we should get going. The sooner you speak to your father, the sooner we’ll know what we’re up against.’

Felicity gave a small nod and reached for her backpack before looking around her apartment. She wasn’t sure what she was about to walk into, or how long she was going to be gone for, but she had been waiting a long time to get answers from her father. She just hoped he didn’t tell her something she didn’t want to hear.

Felicity was glad that the agents did not seem interested in conversation on the ride to their headquarters. She found her thoughts jumping from worrying about her mom, wondering where her father had been the last 15 years, what he had gotten them into and what she was going to do about it. With each new thought, she found herself getting equally angrier and more worried. By the time they arrived at a brown, five story building, Felicity was fidgeting and her leg was jumping. She was so much in her own head that she jumped in her seat as Oliver opened her door. His eyebrows pulled together as he frowned.

‘You okay?’

Felicity avoided his eye and instead looked down at her seatbelt, undoing the clip before replying.

‘Yeah, fine, just worried about my mom.’

As she got out of the car, Oliver stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. He looked down into her eyes before saying:

‘I know this must be scary, but we’re doing everything we can to keep you both safe, I promise. Trust me’ he said before giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Felicity couldn’t say why, considering she had only met him about an hour ago, but somehow she felt that she could trust Oliver. She gave a small nod as she felt some of her nerves settle. He gave her a small smile, dropped his hand, closed her door and waited for her to follow him into the building.

Once inside, she followed Oliver and John to an elevator. It was a short ride to the third floor, and Felicity was not entirely sure whether she was relieved or disappointed when Oliver brought her to a small dark room. John left and soon she was looking at the man who had walked out on her and her mother so long ago, through what she assumed was a two way mirror.

The pain of him leaving might not have dulled in the last 15 years, but the memory of his face had begun to. The man sitting with his hands cuffed to the simple table looked vaguely like the memory of someone she had seen in a dream. It felt like she was looking at a photograph of someone she used to know. He was slender, older, the only familiar thing about him the slight smile he had on his lips as he looked around the room. He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Ironside with a number embossed on his chest.

Oliver simply stood next to her while Felicity was staring at her father, when John returned. Felicity found she could not take her eyes away from her father, trying to see if anything in him reminded her of herself.

John cleared his throat and said:

‘Your father didn’t have anything on him when he handed himself over, other than a wallet and this.’

Felicity turned to him and took the small plastic bag he held out to her.

‘Our tech people have been trying to see what was on it, but they have had no luck so far. There seems to be some sort of encryption on it. When he was asked about it, your father said he would only speak to you. That’s all they’ve been able to get out of him.’

Felicity looked down at the small USB drive in the bag. She turned it over, but there didn’t appear to be anything special about it.

She frowned at she looked back at John.

‘So, what is it you need from me?’

John placed his hands in his pockets and answered:

‘Right now, we don’t know what we’re up against, why your father decided to hand himself over or who he could be working with. At this stage, anything you find out will be a step in the right direction.’

Felicity looked down at the USB again, not saying anything. When she felt a gentle hand on her elbow, she looked up into Oliver’s eyes.

‘I know that this must be a lot to process, but you’re not alone. We’ll be right here. You can walk right out of that room, any time you want to Felicity.’

Looking in his eyes, Felicity felt a sense of calm come over her. She handed the bag with the USB to Oliver and taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and said.

'Right, let’s do it. This! I meant this! Let's do this.' Felicity could feel her cheeks start to warm, as a blush started to spread over her face. John chuckled softly and Oliver had a small smile on his face. Nodding her head once, she left the room and walked the small distance to the next door. Taking another bracing breath, she reached for the door. As she looked back at the room she just left she saw Oliver standing in the door. He gave her a reassuring smile and she gave him an answering one before opening the door and walking in.

Her father had been looking at the mirror across from him, but as the door opened, he turned towards her.

'Hello Felicity.'

'Dad.'

While the memory of his face had faded, the memory of his voice was so fresh as if she had heard it just the day before. At first it brought up memories of working together on her first computer, filled with happiness. Then everything else rushed back. Every feeling of rejection, every night of crying herself to sleep, every time she found her mom crying, struggling to make ends meet.

Taking the last step into the room, Felicity closed the door behind her and took the chair across from her father.

'It's good to see you sweetheart.'

'Let's get something straight, you lost the right to call me sweetheart when you left. And it would have been better to have seen you any time in the last fifteen years.'

'Fair enough. Would it help to tell you that I did what I did because I thought it was the best for you and your mom? I tried to keep you both safe and I didn't think a life on the run was good enough for you.'

'No, you did what you did because you didn't want to get caught. Don't pretend it was for anyone other than you.'

Noah looked down at his hand and said:

'How much has your mother told you about what I do?'

'She said you were involved in some dodgy things before you got together. Said you gave it up when you got married, and as far as she knew, you had left it behind you. And then you left.'

'I did give it up, or at least, I tried to. For a time things were good, we were building a life and then you were born. I don't think I've ever been happier. But going legit wasn't easy. I possess a set of skills that is highly sought after, and the temptation to makes things a little easier was just too big. ‘Noah was quiet for a moment and then he said:

'I'm sure you have some questions?'

'Yeah, okay, just the one right now. Why now?'

Noah nodded and the said:

'I got a job about a week ago. At first, it didn't really seem too different to what I normally did, but I started to realise there was more going on. When I started digging a bit, I found out I was just a small piece in the puzzle. And the whole puzzle was terrifying. Where I thought I was just involved in a little mischief, they were planning on levelling a city. This city. The one where my daughter lives, and I couldn't be involved with that. I tried to get out of it, but it seems they did some homework on me before I was hired. They knew about you and your mother. Even though I've tried to separate myself from you in every way I could, they still found out.'

Noah leaned forward in his chair.

'When I came here I had a USB with me. On it, is everything I have on the people who have hired me. As well as details of previous jobs. It's encrypted, but you can crack it.'

'Why not just give the code to the FBI?'

'That USB is my only insurance that the FBI will do what they said they would. It should take you some time to crack it, hopefully by the time you do, the people I worked for will have been apprehended. I'll give the FBI everything they need to find them, but I need to know that your mother and you are safe. '

Looking past Felicity at the mirror behind her he continued:

'Now if the agent that has been watching us would be so kind as to join us, I need to speak to you.'

Felicity was quiet as she waited for Oliver to come into the room.

As soon as Oliver closed the door behind him, Noah said:

'Agent. There are a few things you need to know before my daughter leaves. If you have any chance of keeping my daughter and her mother safe, there can be no digital trace of where you’re going. I might have left, but the person they hired in my place has far less concerns about destroying a city. If it's on a computer, he will find it. As soon as I know they are safe, I'll tell you everything I know.'

'That's not how this works Mr Kuttler. You give us the information and then we can talk.'

'This isn't a negotiation agent. This is how it will be. The information on that USB is going to be closing a lot of open cases. And not to mention, you're on a clock here. According to everything I could find, they plan on bringing this city to its knees by next week.'

Noah turned back to Felicity and said:

'I really hope that this is not the last time I see you, Felicity, but if it is, I just want you to know that I never wanted to hurt you. All I've ever wanted was for you to be safe and happy.'

'Yeah, well, staying would have been a much better way of ensuring that, Noah. For a very long time, I thought I was broken. That no-one would or could ever love me. That you left because there was something wrong with me.'

Noah tried to reach across the table to take her hands, but Felicity pulled her hands into her lap and the cuffs did not reach that far.

'Sweetheart, there is nothing wrong with you. It's me, there is something broken in me. That's why I stayed away.'

Felicity sat looking at her hands for a long moment before looking back at her father.

'Well, I guess I finally got the answers I wanted, I just don't think I believe them. The only think I do believe, is that because of you, mom and I are in danger. So, if that's everything, I think I'll be going now. Goodbye Noah'

Felicity stood up from her chair, and without looking at him again, she turned her back on her father and walked out of the room, Oliver right behind her. She could hear her father calling after her as Oliver closed the door behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys  
> Thank you again to everyone who has commented, left kudos or simply been reading the story. I appreciate each and every one of you.  
> I am still writing the last few chapter, currently I am up to chapter six, as well as editing the chapters I post. You may notice that I finally have a total number of chapters up. I honestly only knew how many chapters there would be last week when I finished planning the story.  
> I plan on posting two chapters a week. So we'll still be here a few weeks.  
> Until then, I hope you enjoy the journey.

** Chapter 3 **

_I didn't want to escape  
From the bricks that I laid down_

_(_ **_Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee_ ** _)_

Felicity felt drained when she left the interrogation room. She was standing with her head bend, massaging her temples when she heard the other room's door open. Looking up at John as he walked out of the room, she dropped her hand and said:

'I'm sorry, I don't think I helped very much.'

'No, Felicity, you did fine. Before you went in there, we had nothing but your father’s word that there was something happening. Now at least we know it's happening in Starling. The agents that will speak to your father after we leave will get everything else we need. So, thank you. I'm sure that couldn't have been easy. If it helps at all, I have been able to arrange for you to speak to your mom before we leave.'

'We?'

'Yes, Agent Queen and I will be looking after you until we have all of this wrapped up.'

'Oh, okay, wow. I have to say, this is moving a bit quickly for me, I don't usually move in with someone until he buys me dinner at least.’

John smiled and nodded his head to his partner.

'Well, Oliver is a pretty decent cook, so we've got the dinner part covered.'

At this, Felicity's eyebrows raised as she turned to Oliver.

'Really, well considering I'm a disaster in the kitchen, I guess I'm getting lucky tonight.'

Felicity slapped her hand against her head as she realized what she had said. Oliver laughed and she could hear John chuckling softly as well.

'Seriously, my mind thinks of the worse way to say things.'

As she took her hand down, she continued:

'You said I could talk to my mom. Maybe we should just do that before I say something else no-one needs to hear.'

John nodded and turned down the hallway, leading her to an empty office, Oliver following silently after them.

Before picking up the phone he said:

'You'll have to keep it under two minutes, and we won't be able to do this again until this mess is resolved. I'm sorry'

'I understand'

He nodded and turned to pick up the phone, punched in some numbers, spoke softly into the phone and soon he was holding the receiver out to her.

Felicity stepped forward, took the receiver from John, held it against her chest, looked up at him and said:

'Thank you, Agent Diggle. I appreciate this.'

'You're welcome. And it's John, or Dig. If we're going to be living together for the foreseeable future, you might as well call me by my first name.'

Felicity gave him a small smile as he stepped back and she put the receiver against her ear.

There was a moment of silence and then Felicity exhaled with relieve as she heard her mother's voice.

'Hello?'

'Mom. Are you okay?'

'Felicity, my beautiful girl. Are you okay? The agents that came to get me said they were coming to get you as well.'

'I'm fine mom. I can't talk long, I just wanted to make sure you were okay and to let you know I'm fine. And that I'll see you soon. We really have to stop putting off your trip to Starling.'

'The second this is over, I'm booking my flight. I'm staying so long, you'll be praying for me to go back to Vegas. That is, right after I kill your father with my bare hands for putting you in danger.'

John stepped into her view and gestured to his watch. Nodding, Felicity could feel tears starting to form in her eyes, and she looked down at the table before saying softly:

'I have to go mom. Be safe, don't give the agents to much of a hard time.' She turned her back to John and said:

'I love you mom.'

'Oh honey, I love you more that life itself. You be safe too, I'll see you soon, okay.'

'Okay mom, bye'

'Bye baby girl.'

Felicity replaced the phone and wiped her cheeks to get rid the tears that had leaked from her eyes.

Her back was still turned to the two agents as John said:

'Felicity, Oliver and I just need to grab a few things, then we should be ready to go. You can wait in here, it shouldn’t take too long. I will also have to take your phone and tablet, they will have to stay here. Considering what your father just told you, anything that can be traced to you will be dangerous.'

Felicity’s first instinct was to clutch her precious electronic to her and fight anyone who tried to take them from her, but she reluctantly acknowledged that what John was saying made sense. She turned to John and said:

‘Fair enough, but only if you promise me they will be safe. My electronics are my babies John, I don’t trust just anyone with my babies. Also, I am going to need my laptop to decrypt that USB. I should be able to cover my digital tracks on it.’

‘I promise you they will be safe, you have my word.’

After one last longing look, Felicity handed her phone to him, saying:

‘The tablet is in my bag, in the car.’

‘Okay, I’ll get that and get my things. I’ll be right back.’ He gave Oliver a small nod and headed out of the door.

Oliver had been so quiet that she had almost forgotten that he was also in the room.

'You okay?'

Felicity gave him a small smile before answering:

'Yeah, today has just been, well, a lot, you know.'

Oliver nodded his head, and said:

'Well, when Dig comes back, I just need to grab a few things as well and then we can head over to the safe house.'

‘Okay. It’s not even noon yet, and I am already completely over this day.’

They spent the rest of the time waiting for John in silence, Felicity too occupied with her own thought for her normal chattiness to take over, and Oliver seemed content to just wait with her. John returned, a black bag over his shoulder, about ten minutes later. Oliver left the room, only to return 5 minutes later, also carrying two black canvas bags. Soon they were back in the same black SUV that Oliver and John had picked her up in, heading to the safe house. Oliver was sitting in front with John and Felicity spend the first part of the trip just watching the city as they headed out of Starling. After about 30 minutes she felt her eyes starting to droop. She felt emotionally drained and raw after speaking with her father and she didn’t fight against the welcome oblivion sleep promised.

Felicity slept peacefully until the car came to a stop. Rubbing her eyes and hoping she didn’t drool in her sleep, she tried to see where they were through the window. She was still peering at the trees when Oliver opened her door for her. He had removed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves during the trip. Felicity was momentarily distracted by looking at his strong forearms, when he cleared his throat and said:

‘Felicity?’

Feeling her cheeks warm with a blush, her eyes snapped to his. He was smiling at her, eyebrows raised. She realized he had his hand held out to her and she quickly unclipped her seatbelt before taking his hand and saying:

‘Sorry, guess I’m still a bit groggy from the nap. Where are we?’

Oliver waited until she was out of the car before answering:

‘Bloomfield. It’s basically a retirement community for ex-FBI, army, and cops. Safest town you’ll find this side of the world.’

Felicity walked to the back of the SUV and looked up at a cozy looking cabin. There was a small porch in front, with two chairs and a small table. The cabin was surrounded by trees and the porch led to a large yard.

As Felicity was looking at where they would be staying, John and Oliver had started to unload the SUV. John was taking out the bag he had brought when he said:

‘I’m heading into town to get a few supplies after setting up the security system. Is there anything I should avoid?’

Felicity reached forward to take her suitcase from the car and answered:

‘I’m allergic to peanuts, but other than that, nothing really. Do not want a repeat of the one time I accidentally ate a peanut brownie.’

‘No nuts, okay, good to know. Let's get these things inside and you can get settled.’

Felicity followed John inside the cabin. The door opened into a small living room with an open plan kitchen. There was a fireplace in the corner of the living room, a couch and a one seater, as well as a small bookcase. John put some of the bags in the living room, then led Felicity upstairs. There was two rooms and a small bathroom, about the size of the bathroom in Felicity's apartment. John led her to the bigger of the two rooms.

'Okay, this is you. Oliver and I will be in the room next door. We'll be taking shifts, I'll be on night shift and Oliver on day shift, and that way you'll always have someone looking out for you.'

The room John had led her to had a double bed, bedside table, a small dresser and an en suite bathroom.

Felicity turned to John

'Thank you John. I know this is your job, but it can't be easy to leave your family for however long this is going to take.'

John only tilted his head and smiled.

'How did you know?'

Felicity pointed to his hand.

'Well, the ring is a pretty good clue.'

John looked down at his left hand and chuckled.

'Luckily I married someone who understands the job. And you’re welcome. I'll let you get settled' John said before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Felicity sat on the bed and looked around the room. She sat quietly for a few minutes before deciding that she better unpack and then get started on cracking the code on her father’s USB. Hopefully it would help get her back to her life sooner rather than later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, the story will be more a bit focused on the relationship between Felicity and Oliver, not forgetting John, but Noah will not be left completely behind. There will be progress on the case in a later chapter. Till next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone  
> Thanks to everyone who is still with us on this journey. It's great to see the great response.  
> I am a bit behind on replying to comments, but I will get to them soon, promise.  
> This chapter you'll find out how Oliver ended up a FBI agent.  
> Until next time, enjoy

** Chapter 4 **

_You are the only one  
The only that sees me  
_ _(_ **Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee** )

Felicity headed down stairs with her laptop after unpacking. She watched John set up the security system, asking questions here and there, making some suggestions on improvements. When he left, she browsed the bookcase to see if there was anything that interested her. She was happy to see a few titles she recognized. Deciding that she better have a look at the USB, Felicity sat down in front of the coffee table and opened her laptop. She was busy analyzing and trying to decide which way would be best to crack the encryption when Oliver spoke behind her.

'I'm pretty sure the chairs by the counter would be more comfortable'

Felicity jumped, not having heard Oliver come into the room.

'Jeez, I didn't think that they teached ninja skills in Quantico. Where did you come from?'

Oliver smiled shyly and put his hands into his pockets.

'Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I was just doing a quick sweep.'

'It's alright, I get pretty focused when I'm with my baby. Although, considering there are actual people in the world who want to hurt me, I should probably be a bit more aware of my surrounding.'

Felicity frowned and tilted her head before saying:

'Now there's a sentence I never thought I would say.'

Oliver sat down on the one seater.

'I have to say, you've been handling this whole situation very well. It can't be easy to have your life derailed like this.'

'To be honest, having this encryption to crack helps. Computers I can do, they make sense to me. And it gives me something to focus on, other than the very real possibility that either my mom, or me, or both could get hurt before this all is over. Not to mention the man who disappeared out of my life so long ago, waltzed back into my life, bringing who knows what with him.'

Sighing, Felicity continued:

'What were you saying about handling this well?'

'I stand by what I said.'

Oliver looked over his shoulder when they heard a car door close.

'That's probably Dig.'

He got up and checked the peep-hole before opening the door. John came in carrying a few grocery bags and Felicity turned back to her computer as the two men started unpacking the bags in the kitchen. She continued working until Oliver gently tapped her on the shoulder. Looking up, she realised that it had gotten dark in the time she had been absorbed in the computer.

'Dinners ready.'

Blinking a few times, Felicity realized there was a delicious smell filling the room. Looking past Oliver she could see John setting a small table in the kitchen. Before she could say anything, her stomach growled loudly.

Oliver only smiled down at her as he held his hand out to help her stand. She gratefully took his hand, and after standing, stretched to get the kinks out of her back.

At the table, Felicity was seated between John and Oliver at the round table. Felicity tucked into the simple, but delicious meal in front of her, groaning after taking her first bite.

‘Okay, John, if this is only decent by your standards, I don’t know what would be considered excellent.’

John gave her a smile, leaned forward and gestured her closer. When she leaned towards him, John whispered, just load enough for Oliver to hear as well.

‘It is actually pretty good, but I can’t have Queen here getting a big head. His riot helmet might not fit anymore.’

Felicity laughed out loud. She thought she saw a faint blush creeping over Oliver’s cheeks, but he simply rolled his eyes and continued eating. John winked at her and dug into his food as well. After a few minutes where the only sound in the cabin was from the three eating, John looked over at Felicity and asked:

‘Any luck on the USB?’

Felicity took a sip of her water and said:

‘Depends on what you mean by luck. I should be able to crack it, but my father was telling the truth when he said it would take some time.’

‘How long do you think it is going to take?’

‘A day at the least, three at the most. It’s a pretty impressive encryption, I’ll give him that much, but I’m pretty good as well.’

John simply nodded and took another bite of his food. After finishing his meal, he continued:

‘Like I said earlier, I’m on nightshift, so I’m going to head up and get a few hours of sleep before shift starts.’ He smiled at Felicity again and took his plate to the sink, before heading to the stairs.

Felicity watched him leave and then turned back to Oliver, only to find him looking at her.

After a few silent moments, Felicity said: ‘I guess that means we’re on dishes duty?’

‘I guess so’ Oliver said as he also stood from the table, taking his plate and empty glass to the sink.

‘I’ll wash if you’re okay to dry.’

‘Sounds good’ Felicity joined him in the kitchen with her plate and glass and they worked together in a comfortable silence. As Oliver was putting the last plate in the drying rack, Felicity said:

‘I have a confession.’

Oliver simple raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for her to continue.

‘I recognized you this morning.’

‘You did?’

‘Well, I’ve only been living in Starling for the last three years, but you can’t really live there without hearing about the Queen family.’

‘And the “bad boy” heir to the fortune.’ Felicity made air quotes as she leaned her hip against the counter.’

‘Plus, if it’s on the internet, I can find it.’

Oliver flinched, but did not say anything.

Felicity put the drying towel on the counter before saying:

‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Sure’

‘How do you go from “bad boy” billionaire-heir-to-a-fortune-500 Company, to an FBI agent?’

Oliver put down the sponge he had been using for the dishes, folded his arms and leaned back against the kitchen counter.

‘If you’ve heard about my family, then you must have heard about the accident.’

Felicity nodded and Oliver continued.

‘When my parents died, I went a bit of the rails. I was in no way equipped to deal with losing them, being the only family my sister had left or running the family company that I had no real interest in. That being said, I knew my dad wanted me to take over the company from him, so I tried. And failed. Spectacularly. I almost cost us the company. Luckily, the CFO was a close friend of my parents and he helped me get the company back on track. It didn’t take the board very long to vote him into the CEO position after that. He came to tell me himself after the vote, willing to reject the offer if I wanted to fight it. I told him I was relieved, that I had only taken over the company because my father wanted me too. We had a discussion about what it was that I did want to do. He helped me see that I just wanted to help people. I went back to college, my fifth and final one. The FBI felt like the place I could do the most good at, not just in Starling. So, after college, I enrolled in Quantico, and here I am.’

‘Wow. That is quit a journey.’

‘Yeah.’

Felicity moved to stand next to Oliver. She nudged him with her shoulder before asking:

‘So how did you and Dig end up as partners?’

‘My first day at the Starling head office, I got called into the then Assistant Directors office. He wasn’t exactly thrilled to have ‘Starlings poster boy for trust funds’ on his team. At first he had me on desk duty. Honestly, I don’t think he really knew what to do about me. Dig got transferred to Starling about four months after I got there. And considering he’s ex-army and he wasn’t from Starling, they partnered us. I think the idea was that he would keep me in line.’

‘And, did he?’

Oliver smiled as he looked at his feet.

‘I don't know if I would say that, but he has helped to make me a better agent. And I have lost track of the amount of times he has saved my ass and my life. He's shown me the kind of agent I want to be. Don't tell him I said this, but I got very lucky when he got assigned as my partner.’

They stood in comfortable silence, Felicity just absorbing everything Oliver had told her.

Her eyes fell on her laptop, the decryption program still running on the screen. Realizing that there wasn’t much more she could do about it tonight, she sighed.

‘I think I’m going to grab a shower and head to bed. It has been a day.’

‘Okay. If you need anything, I’ll be just next door and Dig will be around. And if you’re up before 08:00 Dig will still be up, after that, you’ll be stuck with me.’

Rolling her eyes at him, Felicity said:

‘However will I survive the horror? Seriously though, thanks for dinner.’

‘You’re welcome. Good night Felicity.’

‘Night Oliver.’

Smiling she went to her room to get her things before heading to the small en suite bathroom. She didn’t think there would be anything about this situation that she would like, but listening to Oliver had been nice. Maybe this wouldn’t be nearly as bad.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone  
> Believe it or not, but we're half way through already.  
> The next two chapters are a bit shorter, but the following two will hopefully make up for it.  
> I am about halfway through writing chapter 8, which means from my side, this fic is almost done. I might start posting a bit more when I'm done, but I don't want to make promises I can't keep.  
> Until then, I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter.

** Chapter 5 **

_That trusts me and believes me  
You are the only one_

_( **Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee** )_

Felicity has never been a morning person. It usually takes at least two cups of quality caffeine to get her close to firing on all cylinders, so her being awake before the sun was up, was unusual. But not all together surprising.

After her shower, she had gotten into bed, a smile still on her face. It wasn’t long until she fell into a fitful sleep. Her dreams were filled with faceless men chasing her, and then her mother. The dreams ended before either of them were caught, but it still left her drenched with sweat and shivering in the bed. After starting awake, she turned on her side, looking out the window and watched as the stars disappeared. By the time the sky had turned blue, the shivering had stopped. Felicity swung her feet over the side of the bed, slipped into the en-suite and showered. She dressed in one of her favorite sweaters and yoga pants and headed downstairs to get her first caffeine fix of the day. As she was near the bottom of the stairs, she could hear John and Oliver speak softly. They both turned to her as she entered the kitchen.

‘Morning. You sleep alright?’ John asked as Oliver headed to one of the cupboards and took down a plate.

‘Fine, thank you.’

Felicity sat down on one of the counter stools, resting her chin in her hand.

Oliver placed the plate on the counter.

‘Coffee? It’s fresh.’

‘Yes, please.’

As Oliver filled a cup for her, John continued: ‘I was just telling Oliver, I just got the report from head office. Everything looks good at your mom’s safe house.’

Oliver placed a cup in front of her, next to the milk and sugar. Felicity smiled at him in thanks, added sugar and milk to her coffee and turned back to John.

‘That’s good news. But didn’t you say that any contact could be dangerous’ she asked, before taking a sip of her coffee.

‘We’ve set up an analogue reporting system with the head office. We still can’t call, but I thought it would make this whole thing a little easier on you both if could at least get an update every now and then.’

‘Anyone ever told you, you’re amazing?’

John simply chuckled, finished his coffee and said:

‘Not today. I just hope it helps.’

‘It does. Thank you John.’

‘You’re welcome. I’m going to get a workout in before bed.’ John placed his cup in the sink and headed out of the kitchen. Oliver had been standing at the sink as John and Felicity talked. He walked over to Felicity, placed his hands on the counter and said:

‘So, how do you like your eggs?’

Oliver left Felicity to finish her breakfast, saying he was going to do a sweep of the property before joining John for a quick workout. After breakfast, and another two coffees, Felicity took her laptop and headed to one of the chairs on the porch. Checking the program she had set up to decode the USB, she made a few adjustments, pleased to see the program was working faster than she had first expected. She was finishing a piece of tricky code when she heard a soft grunt. Looking up from her laptop, she could see Oliver and John sparring in the yard. They were a little too far for her to hear, but she could see Oliver was saying something to John that made him smile.

She was not an expert on fighting, but the two men seemed to be well matched. John was physically bigger, but Oliver was a little faster. They were dodging most of the punches, but they would both land one ever now and then. Felicity saved her work and put her laptop on the small table between the two chairs. Wrapping her hands around her (fourth) cup of coffee, she put her head against the back of the chair, enjoying the almost graceful dance. She had just taken the last sip of her coffee, when John took Oliver’s feet from under him. Felicity flinched as she watched John reached out and helped Oliver up. They chatted a bit, John clapped Oliver on the shoulder and then turned back to the cabin, Oliver following him. John gave her a smile and a wink as he passed her, heading inside to what she assumed was a warm shower. Oliver sat down in the chair next to her. Pointing to her laptop, he asked:

'Making any progress?'

'Some. Actually it's going a bit faster than I thought it would.'

Oliver leaned back against the chair and took a sip from a bottle of water that Felicity had not noticed next to the chair. Turning back to her he asked:

'How does it work?'

Felicity shifted in the chair towards Oliver before answering:

'It depends on the encryption, but with this one, think of it like a big box, filled with different broken puzzles, all mixed together. The decryption program is basically sorting all the different files, or puzzles pieces, and then rebuilding each one, piece by piece. So far, some of the puzzles have been sorted, and the program has started to rebuild. The frustrating thing is, I can't really do much more to speed up the progress. So, it's pretty much a waiting game now.'

'You make it sound so simple.'

'Most things with computers are. It's people who are complicated.'

'That is true.'

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. It was Oliver who broke the silence:

'Well, if there is nothing more you can do, maybe you can think of this as a mini vacation.'

'I don't think I can even remember the last time I had a vacation. I don't think I even know what to do on a vacation.'

‘We have a few options. There are some movies and board games. I saw you going through the bookcase yesterday, maybe there is something in there you like.’

‘Actually, there was a few I wouldn’t mind reading, or more accurately, re-reading. And this is a pretty good spot.’

‘There you go. But, I am going to have to ask you to come inside, just for a bit.’

Raising an eyebrow, Felicity asked:

‘And that would be why?’

‘The system we set up does a lot of the heavy lifting in keeping you safe, but I still can’t leave you alone out here. I’m pretty sweaty from the work out...’

‘I had noticed. It’s kind of awesome’

Shaking her head and feeling a blush come on, Felicity quickly said:

‘I mean, not noticed. I did not notice. Please just forget I said that.’

Smiling, Oliver continued:

‘I need to go inside and shower before Dig heads to bed, so while I do that, I can’t leave you out here alone. Maybe you can pick a book while I’m in the shower. When I’m done, we can come out here again.’

‘Okay, fair enough. Would it be too much to hope that Dig picked up a few snacks yesterday? ‘

Chuckling as he stood up, Oliver said:

‘You didn’t hear it from me, but if you were to have a look in the cupboard next to the fridge while I’m in the shower, you never know what you’ll find.’

‘Sounds like my kind of treasure hunt.’


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone  
> Here's the second part of Felicity and Oliver's first full day spend together.  
> This chapter is a bit different than the others. It is not very dialogue heavy. It also a shorter chapter, but the next two chapters will hopefully make up for it.  
> Until next time, enjoy!

** Chapter 6 **

_The only one that knows me  
And in the dark you show me_

_( **Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee)**_

****

Felicity took Oliver’s advice and while he was in the shower, she took some time to go through the small bookcase. She pulled out a few books that she wanted to read, but the mention of the board games had sparked her competitive streak. Going through the boxes, she settled on the pack of cards, considering the other games were geared towards more players than just two people. And if she was being honest, the Vegas girl in her was looking forward to showing off her card skills.

John had not gone to bed yet, waiting until Oliver was done with his shower and was busy checking the security system. Felicity was shuffling the cards when Oliver walked back into the living room, dressed in a grey zip up hoodie and jeans. Felicity looked up from the cards in her hand and could not help to notice how good he looked in jeans, just as he had in the suit the previous day. And the t-shirt and workout shorts he had on earlier. In fact, Felicity was starting to think he would look good dressed in anything. Or nothing at all.

As John gave Oliver a quick update before he headed to bed, Felicity turned her back to them. She could feel her cheeks warm and she was thankful that for once, her inside thoughts had not become outside thoughts. John and Oliver must have finished because John said goodnight, and she turned and waved to him as he headed upstairs. When John disappeared from the room, Oliver turned to her, putting his hands in his pockets.

'You pick something?'

'Yes. How are you with black jack?'

Oliver gave a small shrug.

'Not really my game. Poker on the other hand...'

'Hm, how about we start with black jack, maybe I can show you a few tricks. Then maybe later you teach me a thing or two about poker.'

'I thought you grew up in Vegas. Isn't everyone from there born knowing how to play cards?'

'Haha, very funny, but to answer your question. Yes, I did spend a lot of time in casinos, my mom worked a lot, so I would sit at the reception doing my homework. I didn't really spend a lot of time at the tables, so it's that’s not really an advantage. Blackjack is pretty easy because it just math's really. As for poker, apparently I have zero poker face. So, not great at it.'

'Well, that's good to know. Fair enough, let's start with blackjack and then we'll see how it goes.'

And that is how they spend the majority of the day. After grabbing a few snack from the cupboard, Felicity showed Oliver everything she knew about beating the dealer, and in return Oliver tried to help her improve her poker face. As they played, they talked. They chatted about their childhood, Oliver making her laugh with stories about his best friend and sister. Then they talked about Felicity's job and the company she hoped to start after saving up some money. Only when her stomach rumbled loudly, did Oliver get up chuckling and made them an amazing lunch, which they took out to the porch to eat. They ate in a comfortable silence, enjoying the company and quiet of the woods surrounding the cabin. After eating, they stayed on the porch and continued talking. Oliver told her about how difficult it was to be accepted at the academy and then about trying to help his sister, Thea, find her way in the world after their parent’s death. Felicity was captivated by the clear affection and obvious pride on Oliver’s face as he talked about the woman that Thea was becoming. In turn, Felicity told him about growing up with a single mom who had to work three jobs just to make ends meet. She told him about how lonely she felt growing up, especially when she skipped two grades and ended up being two years younger than every other person in her class at college. She told him about how difficult it was for her to allow people to get close to her. Oliver was such a good listener that she was sharing things with him she had never told anyone. It was so easy to open up to him. 

By the time John found them on the porch, they had lost track of time again. Felicity got up and followed Oliver and John inside. She perched on one of the chairs by the counter, and watched as Oliver started preparing dinner. As Oliver worked, John and Felicity started chatting. John told Felicity about his wife and being in the army as they waited for Oliver to finish with dinner. In turn Felicity had John laughing with stories of her previous mishaps in the kitchen. The conversation lasted all through the dinner, Felicity laughing as John teased Oliver about his first few months at the FBI. For his part, Oliver seemed to take the teasing good-naturally, mostly just rolling his eyes and occasionally getting a few jabs of his own in. Watching them, Felicity could easily see the camaraderie and trust between the two men.

After dinner, John left them to do the dishes, while he checked on the system and reported the day to head office. By the time the dishes were done, John came back into the room, reassuring Felicity that everything was still quiet at her mom's safe house. Relieved, she thanked him.

Oliver and Felicity had decided to watch a movie after dinner and John said he would join them after a sweep of the property. As Oliver picked a movie, Felicity checked on the encryption, happy to see that a handful of the files were close to being completely decrypted. She was settling on the one side of the couch when John returned. Oliver sat down on the other side of the couch, starting the movie, John making himself comfortable on the one-seater. Even though it was a movie she had seen before, Felicity quickly got lost in the familiar story. As the credits started rolling, Felicity was yawning. She stood up from the couch, stretched her arms over her head and said good night to the two men, and headed up to bed. As she was climbing under the cover, she was pleasantly surprised to realize that she had not spent the day obsessing about her current situation. And even though the nightmares still came, this time, she knew that she was not running away from the faceless men, but instead she was running toward a figure in the distance.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone  
> Thank you to everyone who is still with us. I can't really express how much it means to me to share this with you.  
> And so we head into the second day with our couple. The day is split in two again, chapters a little bit longer.  
> Next chapter ( and the second part of the day) will be up a bit later in the week.  
> Until then, enjoy!

**Chapter 7**

_It's perfectly reckless_  
Damn you leave me defenceless  
So break in

_( **Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee)**_

****

Felicity jerked awake for the second morning in a row, well before she would normally be awake. The only difference being that she was not drenched with sweat, but she was still left shivering. The dreams that were haunting her the last two nights left her exhausted, but also even more determine to help stop whoever it was that was threatening her and her mother. She watched the night slowly fade into the day again, taking the time to process the last two days.

When the sky had turned into a beautiful blue, Felicity swung her feet over the side of the bed and got dressed in jeans and a comfortable green hoodie. She ran her brush through her hair and left it hanging loosely around her shoulder, putting a hairband in her pocket in case she changed her mind about tying her hair later, before heading downstairs. She could hear John and Oliver talking softly again as she reached the end of the stairs. The cabin was also filled with her favorite smell, freshly brewed coffee. John greeted her as she came into the room, Oliver reaching for a cup and filling it with coffee, adding milk and sugar like she liked it, not needing to even ask. Felicity gratefully took the cup from him and smiled her thanks before taking her first sip. Just like the day before, John headed out shortly after Felicity sat down, saying he wanted to do a quick sweep of the property before getting his workout in. And also like the day before, Oliver stayed a while, dishing Felicity's breakfast before heading out to join John. Felicity grabbed her laptop and checked the program as she finished her breakfast. She sorted through the files that had completed overnight, wanting to show them to John after his workout. When she was satisfied she had done all she could for now, she poured herself another cup of coffee and headed out to the porch, and settled into the chair waiting for John and Oliver to finish sparring.

Much like the previous day, the two men were well matched. They started out just trying to land a few hits, but at some point, John started showing Oliver the move that had him on the ground the day before. Soon they seem to be trading moves backward and forwards. Eventually Oliver swept John from his feet. John must have decided that he had enough, because after Oliver helped him up, smirking, John headed towards the cabin.

Felicity stood when he came close to the porch and leaned against the railing.

'Giving up?'

John stopped just short of the porch and smiling up at her, he replied:

'Never. But I do have to head up to bed soon.'

'If you say so. Listen, a few of the files have finished decoding, did you want to have a look at them? It might give you a better idea of what my dad is involved in.

John's eyebrow shot up and he seemed impressed.

'Already, that's great. Let me just grab a quick shower and you can show me what you've got.' He climbed the few stairs leading to the cabin and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze.

Oliver had walked over to them as well and was listening as they talked. When John headed inside her looked up to Felicity, arms crossed. He seem to be studying her, a small smile and a considerate look on his face. Felicity fought the urge to squirm and instead, pushed her glasses up her nose and asked:

'What is with that look?'

Oliver shook his head slightly and said:

'Nothing. John and I were thinking that maybe we could show you some self-defense moves, if you're interested.'

Felicity pushed back from the railing, considering. Living in the Glades, the rougher part of Starling, she had always told herself she would have to get some self-defense classes, but she had never gotten around to it. Now she had a FBI agent offering to teach her. She would not stupid to let the opportunity pass her by. The fact that Oliver was so good looking had nothing to do with the nervous excitement she was feeling, or at least, that was what she was telling herself.

Tilting her head as she looked at him, she asked:

'What did you have in mind?'

'Just a few basics really.'

'Do I need to change into something else, or will this be okay?'

'No need to change, you're good.'

'Okay, great, because honestly, I don't really know what I would have changed into. Working out was not exactly on my list of priorities when I packed. Did you want to do this now, I still have to show Dig what I've decrypted when he's done in the shower.'

'When you’re done with Dig is fine. No rush.'

Felicity leaned on the railing again and Oliver joined her on the porch as they waited for Dig to finish. Looking at the woods that surrounded the cabin, Felicity said:

'You know, I wouldn't mind living in a place like this. It's really peaceful.'

Oliver leaned on the railing next to her.

'It really is, but won't you miss the city.'

'Some parts of it, definitely, but I do think I could get use to something like this pretty quickly. As long as I've got a great internet connection. I love the internet.'

Felicity had turned her face to the morning sunlight, trying to let the warmth fill her. Even though it promised to be a beautiful day, she was still cold. She couldn't seem to let go of the chill the nightmares had left her with.

'I'm sure you can figure out how to make that happen.'

She turned to Oliver and saw him watching her, an encouraging smile on his lips. As she watched him, watching her, Felicity felt a warmth start to settle in her, starting in her stomach and spreading the longer she looked at him. The was a part of her that was wondering if she should stop staring, but a bigger part of her wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the day exactly where she was, just letting the look he was giving her fill every part of her with his warmth. Felicity tilted her head and turned her body, leaning towards him, as she felt the air start to shift to something entirely different. Felicity eyes flitted towards Oliver's mouth and she felt a fluttering in her stomach as his tongue peaked out and wet his bottom lip. She wasn't entirely sure, but she thought she saw him looking at her mouth as well.

Felicity wasn't sure if they stood like that for a minute or an hour, but John clearing his throat behind them had her jerking back, a blush spreading over her cheeks. She spun around, looking at John with big eyes. For a reason she wasn't quite ready to examine, she felt like a teenager caught with a boy in her room. Which was ridicules really, she wasn't even in her room.

'You wanted to show me something Felicity?'

'Yes! Yes, I did. The files. On my laptop.'

John raised his eyebrows and waited.

'Right. Now. Let's do that now.'

Felicity sneaked a quick look at Oliver, she could swear he had a smug smile on his face, leaning his one elbow on the railing, looking very much like a model.

Thinking he had no right to look so handsome, she turned her back on him and walked onto the cabin, John following her. As soon as she was seated in front of her laptop, pulling up the files and explaining to John what she had found so far, the nervous energy she had felt on the porch turned into a determine focus. They discussed a bit of what it meant for her father’s case and whether they were going to wait for all the files to decrypt before sending the information to the head office. When they decided it would be best to wait for all the files, John said goodnight and headed upstairs. Felicity watched him leave the room, and for a while after he had left, Felicity remained sitting on the chair, tapping her fingers against her leg. She turned slowly and looked towards the porch, where Oliver waited.

Logically, Felicity knew that what she felt on that porch with Oliver was a combination of the stressful situation she was in, the fact that he was assigned to protect her and he had shown her nothing but kindness. Then there was the simple fact that the man was stupidly good looking and she was not blind.

Her body, on the other hand, was speaking a very different language. All these logical facts did not explain that she found herself wanting to lower her walls for him. Or the fact that for the first time in her life, it felt so natural and easy. It also did not change the fact that every time Oliver smiled at her, she felt like the room became a little brighter.

Admitting this to herself also did not cause the usual knee jerk fear in her. Instead, it brought her a sense of calm. All of this of course did not mean that Oliver felt the same way about her. Felicity's hand stilled on her leg. Deciding that it did not matter, there were other things to be focusing on, she stood from the chair and walked back out to the porch.

Oliver was still standing where she had left him, but he had turned back towards the yard, leaning with both elbows on the railing. When he heard her walking across the porch, he looked at Felicity over his shoulder.

'Everything okay?'

'Yes, all good.'

Pointing towards the yard, Felicity asked:

'Okay Obi-Wan, teach me the way of the Jedi.'


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone  
> Here's the second part of day two. Training takes place, with one or two other things as well.  
> Thanks to everyone who is still here, I hope you enjoy the update.  
> Enjoy!

** Chapter 8 **

_You let me fall apart without letting go_  
Then you pick up the pieces and you make me whole  
_(_ **Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee)**

****

Oliver and Felicity made their way to the center of the yard. As they walked, Oliver started explaining to Felicity what they would be doing.

'First thing I need you to understand is this: when it comes to fighting, there are no rules. When you're in a fight for your life, anything goes. And there is no shame in running, as fast and as far as you can, as soon as you get a chance. The moves I want to show you, is to make it possible for you to run towards help, or if that's not possible, keep yourself safe until help gets to you.'

Oliver stopped and turned to stand in front of Felicity.

'I'm not saying you are going to need it, Dig and I are doing everything possible to protect you. But just in case we're not around, it would make me feel a lot better knowing you can defend yourself.'

Felicity simply nodded as he continued.

'Secondly, just because you’re smaller, doesn't mean you can't beat someone my size.' Smirking, he said: 'Size really does not matter. We just have to get a bit more creative. With me so far?'

Felicity ticked off on her fingers as she spoke.

'Yip, fighting dirty is okay, run to the nearest big, strong hero and size doesn't matter'

She put her hands behind her back, rocking on her toes as she finished. Oliver smiled at her.

'Not really what I said, but close enough. Now, have you ever thrown a punch?'

'Can't say I’ve ever needed to...'

'Okay, we'll start there then.' Oliver planted his feet, leaned slightly forward and holding his hands out in front of him, he said:

'Okay, hit me.'

'Um, excuse me?'

'The best way for me to figure out what I need to teach you is by first seeing what you already know. So, hit me.'

Felicity hesitated only for a moment and then she balled her right hand and swung, aiming for Oliver’s hand. She made contact, but barely. She wasn't even sure she made his hand move.

To Oliver's credit, he didn't laugh at her, instead he frowned and lowered his hands.

'The good news is, you made contact and you know how to make a fist properly, so you don't break your hand. Now you just have to put a bit of weight behind it.'

Oliver stepped behind Felicity, her eyes following his progress. He lifted his hands and raised his eyebrows, waiting for permission. Felicity's mouth went dry, but she still nodded her head a short yes and tried to suppress the small gasp as his hands landed on her waist. If he heard it, Oliver said nothing, instead his hands guided her to change her stance. When he bent down and moved one of her feet, Felicity wondered if he could hear her heart starting to pound. Oliver stood and applied a gentle pressure to her shoulders to drop them. Still standing behind her, he lightly took her wrists in his hands and lifted her arms to where he wanted them. It took most of her will power to not just lean back into his chest. She could feel the ghost of his touch everywhere his hands had been and the warmth that was radiating from him was so tempting. When he was happy with where her hands where, he stepped back around her again, assessing her stance. Felicity was both relieved and disappointed at the loss of contact. Felicity could swear she could feel his eyes as clearly as she had felt his hands moments before. Felicity shook her head slightly and tried to refocus.

'Because you’re smaller, you need to put your full weight behind your punches. When you punch, follow through as well.'

He stood in front of Felicity and raised his hands again.

'Okay, give it another try.'

Felicity lifted her hand, punched and followed through. Unfortunately she followed through a bit too much and before she realized it, she was falling forward, straight towards Oliver. His arms shot forward and grabbed her, but her unexpected added weight threw him off and they landed on the ground. Felicity was sprawled across his chest, her legs tangling with his.

For a few seconds nothing happened. Felicity felt rather than heard a rumble under her hand where it was splayed across Oliver's chest. Looking at him, Felicity could see that he was softly laughing. He was lying with his head back, on the ground, looking up at the sky. His arms were still banded around her, not leaving any room between them.

'You definitely followed through.'

Felicity giggled.

'Well, I have always prided myself with being a good student. When the teacher says follow through, I follow through.'

Oliver lifted his head and looked at her:

'No kidding.'

For the first time in her life Felicity had no response. As soon as his eyes locked with hers, Felicity seemed to lose the ability to speak. The air around them seemed to still and as he looked at her, the smile slipped from Oliver’s face slowly. The way he looked at her morphed into something entirely different. His one hand moved from her waist, moving her hair behind her ear, just staying there afterwards, his thumb gently stroking over her cheek. Felicity felt herself leaning forward, drawn toward him, when Oliver pulled back suddenly. His hand moved from her face and landed on her hip, like he was about to lift her off him.

‘Uh, I should show you how to plant your feet so that you don’t land on the ground every time you try to throw a punch.’

Felicity pulled back, surprised. Maybe she had read the situation wrong, but Oliver had been closing the distance between their lips as well.

‘Oh, okay, yeah, sure. I probably need to get up for that.’

Sliding her hands from his chest, she planted them on the ground and rolled to the side. As soon as she was off him, Oliver jumped up, his back to her. He stood like that for a few seconds before turning back and extending his hand towards her. Felicity took his hand and let him help her up, feeling confused with what just happened.

Once she was on her feet, Oliver dropped her hand like he had been burned and he became all business again. He showed her how to plant her feet, how to put her weight behind a punch without falling face down. He seemed hesitant to touch her again, demonstrating the right stance and having her mimic him. When he was happy that she could throw a decent punch, he showed her how to break out of a few different holds. He could not avoid touching her then, as he showed her the different ways someone could grab her. At first, his touch would not linger any longer than was necessary, but after a while his hand would stay on her hip for a few seconds more as he adjusted her stance, or he would not let go of her wrist right away after showing her how to twist her arm to break his hold. By the time Oliver said they had done enough for the day, Felicity was not sure if the heat she felt was from the late morning sun or from Oliver occupying her personal space. Either way, it was somewhat a relief when they made their way inside.

Once inside, Oliver headed to the kitchen to get them water while Felicity sat down in front of her laptop. More of the files had decrypted and she started to sort through them. Her hands stilled as she came across a video file named _For Felicity_.

Her cursor hovered over the file for a long moment. There was part of Felicity that did not want to hear anything else her father could possibly say, not wanting to give him any chance of hurting her again. But there was no denying that there was also a big part of her that wanted to open the video. A part that was hoping that there was something, anything that would take some of the pain she had been feeling for the last fifteen years away. She was so focused on trying to decide if she would open it or just delete it, that she did not hear Oliver returning from the kitchen.

‘I’m going to head upstairs for a quick shower. I shouldn’t be too long and the system is armed. Will you be okay here till I get back?’

Oliver placed the bottle of water next to her laptop.

‘Felicity? Felicity!’

Felicity jerked and spun to face him.

‘What? Sorry, I, uh, I didn’t hear you.’

Taking a seat next to her, Oliver lifted his hand, reaching for her. He must have changed his mind because he dropped his hand about halfway.

‘What’s wrong?’

Sighing, Felicity said:

‘I’m sorting through the files and I found a video for me. I mean, it’s named _For Felicity_ , so it can only be for me. Only, what else could my father possibly have to say to me? Why would he leave a video on here for me?’

Felicity dropped her head in her hands, closing her eyes. She sat like that with Oliver quietly next to her, and then she felt his hand on her shoulder. She still did not look up, afraid that he would pull back again.

‘What are you going to do?’

‘I don’t know. Honestly, I’m scared. What if I open it and my world just implodes? It’s bad enough knowing my father is a criminal and finding out that my mom and me are in danger because of it. But what if it’s worse. Do you know, I’ve had nightmares the last two nights? I haven’t had nightmares since watching IT behind my mom’s back.’

Felicity lifted her head and turned to Oliver.

‘But the thing that really terrifies me is that I want to watch it. Do you know what it does to a child when a parent walks out on them? I hated myself for years, I figured that if my own father didn’t love me, no-one else will ever be able to. And still, there is a part of me that is holding on to a sliver of hope that when I open that video, he’ll make it all better. How sad is that? I saw what it did to my mom when he left. I spend years crying myself to sleep and I still want him to sweep in and fix it.’

Felicity stood abruptly from the chair and started pacing in the living room, her body starting to tremble.

‘How is it possible that he can still make me feel like a lost little girl when he hasn’t even been in my life for so long?’

Oliver slowly stood from his chair and walked over to her. Felicity nearly collided with him as he came to a stop in front of her. As she looked up at him, he placed his hand on her shoulders. He moved his hands down her arms and then, slowly, he pulled her into a hug.

Felicity stiffened for a moment, but as his arms came around her shoulders, she practically shagged against him. She put her arms around his waist and turned her face into his chest. He started rubbing small circles on her back and Felicity fisted his shirt in her hand, not wanting him to let go, finally giving in to the tears she had been fighting.

Felicity felt surrounded by Oliver in every way. His strong arms were holding her steadily against him. His skin was warm and his scent filled her with a sense of peace. Silent tears started leaking from her eyes. Felicity felt the tension she had been holding onto start to fade. After a while, when her tears had dried up and the trembling had stopped, Felicity lifted her head from Oliver’s chest. Frowning, she let go of his shirt with one hand and started rubbing at the wet spot on his chest. Oliver had still not said anything and she peeked up at him sheepishly.

‘Sorry. Can’t imagine having a girl crying on you is in the job description.’

Oliver gave her a small smile.

‘Nothing to be sorry about. I can’t begin to imagine what you must be feeling, but for what it’s worth? It’s only natural that you want your father to fix it somehow. Just remember, because it’s there doesn’t mean you have to watch it. But, if you do decide to watch that video, do it for yourself.’

Oliver raised his hand and wiped the tear streaks from her cheek before smoothing her hair back from her face. Like earlier his hand stayed on her face, his thumb caressing her cheek gently. Felicity’s hand stilled on his chest and she could feel the steady thumping of his heartbeat.

Oliver’s eyes followed the patch his thumb was tracing on her cheek. His eyes slipped back to Felicity’s and he gave her a small smile. Felicity was afraid to move, in case he pulled away again. Felicity was not sure how long they stood like that, just looking at each other.

Taking a hitching breath, Felicity finally said:

‘Thank you Oliver.’

‘You don’t have to thank me, not for this.’

‘I think you’re right, I think I should watch the video, even if it is just because the mystery would bug me. I might have mentioned that I hate mysteries.’

‘I do remember you saying something like that, yes.’

Another moment passed before Oliver moved his hand from her face and pulled back gently. Felicity reluctantly let go of his shirt and took a small step back.

‘I’ll give you some privacy then.’

Oliver turned to leave and Felicity’s arm shot out, grabbing him around the wrist. Oliver looked down at her hand before turning back.

‘Wait, please. Would, uh, would you mind watching it with me?’

‘Of course. If that’s what you want, I’ll stay.’

‘Please.’

Felicity stepped pass Oliver and picked up her laptop. She carried it to the living room and placed it on the coffee table, before sitting down on the couch. Oliver sat down next to her, giving her a reassuring smile. Felicity opened the video and waited. Her father’s face filled the screen.

‘ _Felicity, sweetheart, if you’re watching this one of two things happened. Either the men I had been working for have found me and I never got to say any of this to you myself. Or I made it to the FBI and I could give this USB to you._

_Hopefully you gave me a chance to explain a few things, but even if you didn’t I don’t blame you. I am so sorry for the pain I caused you, sweetheart. The most important job any parent could have is to protect their children, and I will forever regret that I have failed in this._

_I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, but the greatest mistake I ever made was not being a part of your life. You were the one thing I did right, the best thing in my life. Leaving you was the hardest decision I have ever had to make._

_Watching this video, will trigger the decryption of two more files. In those files you will find the information for two separate accounts. One is for your mother and one is for you. You don’t have to be worried, the money in those account where made through legitimate means, I promise. I don’t fool myself in thinking that it will make up for anything in the least, but that money is yours. What you do with it is entirely up to you and your mother._

_I owe you so much more than this. My only hope is that I did make it to the FBI and that this can serve as the first step in getting to know you better. I am hoping it is not too late. Even if it doesn’t, please know this. My greatest hope is for you to be happy. And I could not be prouder of the women you have become. I have always, and will always love you. Goodbye Felicity.’_

Felicity sat frozen when the video ended. Oliver leaned over and closed the laptop.

‘Are you okay?’

Blowing out a breath, Felicity said:

‘I am not sure I even know what okay feels like anymore.’

Frowning, she continued.

‘What did he think that would accomplice? That I would magically forgive him. Why would he think we would even accept his money? My mom and I did just fine without him. Did he really think he could just buy his way back into my life? Honestly, I think I’ve got even more questions now than I did before.’

‘I don’t know what exactly your father wanted to achieve with this video, but can I give you some advice someone gave me?’

‘Please.’

Oliver laced his finger together and rested his elbows on his knees. He didn’t look at Felicity as he spoke:

‘About a year after my parents died, I found out some things about them that I really did not want to know. It made me angry that they were not the people I thought they were. The anger ate at me, I was lashing out at everyone in my life. In fact, it almost cost me my relationship with my sister. Eventually, Dig pulled me aside one day and told me that anger is like strapping a jagged boulder to your back. It slows you down until you can’t move forward anymore. Forgiving someone is like cutting the load from your back.’

Oliver turned to Felicity.

‘Forgiving someone frees you. It doesn’t mean you have to allow your father back in your life, but you might be able to let go of the hurt. You just have to decide whether you’re ready to let go of it.’

Felicity leaned back against the couch, just letting what Oliver said sink in.

‘That is some pretty good advice. I guess we’re both lucky Dig’s your partner.’

Oliver lightly bumped her with his shoulder.

‘Don’t tell him I said this, but yes, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. I’m going to grab a quick shower and then I’ll make us something to eat. Will you be okay until I get back?’

‘Yeah, I’ll be fine. I guess I have a few things to think about’


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys  
> We're close to the end now. From my side, I am just busy with the final touches.  
> I added a mild violence tag, as we've got a little bit of action in this one.  
> Until next time, enjoy!

** Chapter 9 **

_I didn't want to escape  
From the bricks that I laid down_

_( **Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee**_

****

Felicity had not moved from the couch by the time Oliver came back into the living room. He didn't comment on it, instead he just asked her what she wanted for lunch. When he moved to the kitchen, Felicity picked up her laptop and moved to the kitchen counter. While Oliver made lunch, she started going through the files that had decrypted. There were only a hand full that was still encrypted and she was curious about the work her father had done in the past. Looking through the files, Felicity had to admit that she was impressed with the level of skill her father obviously had, even if he did use his skills for illegitimate gains. There were not a lot of people in the world who could do what he had done.

'Imagine what he could accomplish if he used his powers for good'

Oliver placed a plate with a sandwich next to the laptop and said:

'Excuse me? Where you talking to me?'

Whipping her head up in surprise, Felicity looked at Oliver.

'Did I say that out loud? Sorry, I'm just imagining the good my father could have done in the last fifteen years if he had used his skills for the right reasons. I mean, the things he has done is incredible, even by my standards. Bad, very bad, but incredible.'

Oliver sat down next to her at the counter, placing his own plate next to hers.

'Any more information on what he was working on before handing himself over?'

'There are still a few files that are not done yet, but from what I have here, if these people aren't stopped, Starling is in real trouble. There are blue prints to every major infrastructure of the city, water, electricity, fault lines, budgets. All the emergency response plans, information on every member of the city council. And I mean in depth information. Family, financial, addresses. With this kind of information, they could shut down the city with just a few strategic hits. I'm hoping that the files that still have to decrypt will have more information on who exactly my father was working for and maybe what exactly they plan to do to the city once it's been shut down.' 

'Why would someone want to shut down a city? What would you gain from it?'

'I don't know, maybe holding it for ransom. The last of the files should be decrypted by this evening, maybe we'll know then.'

'Hopefully. I guess we'll have to wait until then.'

Oliver took a bite out of his sandwich. Felicity closed her laptop and pulled her plate towards her. They ate in silence for a few minutes.

'Has Dig told you anything about the information my fathers has supplied?'

'Not really. He has said that as soon as they confirmed that we had arrived at the safe house, he started talking. They haven't told Dig any details about the information he supplied, but your father has kept his word and cooperated fully.'

'That's something I suppose.'

They continued eating in silence. When Felicity finished her sandwich, she pushed her plate away, folded her arms and rested them on the counter.

'Do you think people can change?'

Oliver pushed his empty plate away as well and turned towards her.

'I'd like to believe so. At least, I like to think that I'm not the same entitled, spoilt playboy I was in my twenties. That guy was a douche.'

Turning to face him, Felicity tilted her head and smiled at Oliver.

'Really? I can't picture that.'

'Oh yeah. That guy was only interested in two things: making himself happy and how to accomplish that with minimum effort. I am not proud to say that philosophy extended to girls as well.'

Frowning, Felicity asked:

'What do you mean?'

'Being a Queen, everything came easy. Including girls. Most were only interested in the perks of dating a billionaire, so I never needed to work very hard in finding a new girl every week. And I definitely did not see the need to commit myself to just one girl at a time.'

'That sounds kind of lonely'

'Honestly, it was. But I was very good at fooling myself into thinking that was what I wanted. Easy, uncomplicated.'

'What changed?'

'One of the things I found out about my parents. It seems my father didn't really believe in monogamy either. In fact, I would be very surprised if I have a half sibling somewhere in the world. When I realized the kind of man I was turning into, I wanted to change. I never wanted my potential future children to feel the way I did when I found that out.'

'Wow. That couldn't have been easy. For what it's worth though, having now spend close to two days with you, I can state with certainty that I have not seen any douche-y behavior.'

Oliver smiled shyly.

'Thank you.'

Oliver didn't say anything further. Felicity soon found herself staring at him again. Oliver was watching her with a soft smile and Felicity felt her pulse speeding up as he looked at her. With a small shake of her head she stood from the chair and said:

'So, do you want to play another hand of cards? I think I'm getting the hang of my poker face.'

'Sounds good, you get the cards while I take the plates to the kitchen.'

Oliver stood, taking the plates away as Felicity got the cards. She started shuffling the cards as she walked over to the couch. Oliver joined her and she started dealing the cards as he sat down next to her on the ground. They played a few rounds, Oliver beating her every round, when Felicity turned her current hand around. It was a few seconds before she realized that she had finally won the hand.

'Wait, I won.'

Wide eyed she looked at Oliver. Smiling, he nodded. Her smile grew and Felicity threw her hands into the air, throwing her head back.

'I won. Yes! I totally won.'

Felicity did a little victory dance while still seated before throwing her arms around Oliver. He had been laughing at her, but he stilled as she hugged him. Suddenly shy, Felicity pulled back slightly, looking him in the eye. He did not let her go very far, his arms still around her back.

'Sorry, I probably should have mentioned that I get pretty competitive.'

Oliver smiled at her.

'I can see that.'

'I'm not exactly being a gracious winner.' Scrunching her nose, Felicity asked:

'Does that make me a bad person?'

Smoothing her hair away from her face, Oliver replied:

Felicity, I don't think there's a force on this earth that could make you a bad person.'

Their faces were so close together that Felicity could feel Oliver's soft breaths on her face. Her one hand travelled from his shoulder like it had a mind of its own, landing on his cheek. His stubble scratched pleasantly against her palm. Oliver's eyes ticked down to her hand before locking onto hers. Slowly, he leaned forward, closing the distance between them. He stopped just short, leaving the final decision to her.

It was the easiest decision Felicity had to make in her life. Her other hand found its way to the back of his neck and Felicity pulled him forward, closing the final inch between them. The kiss was chaste, just a soft touching of his lips against hers. As his lips moved over hers slowly, every chaotic, frightening thought that had been swirling in her mind the last two days slipped away, until the only thing that remained was Oliver. The world around them contracted until all she was aware of, was the small bubble that contained the two of them.

The feel of his soft lips on hers grounded her. His hands had been on her back and now they moved down to her waist. Moaning, Felicity turned to deepen the kiss and sunk into it. She lifted onto her knees, moving to get even closer to Oliver when a loud alarm sounded, bursting the bubble. Oliver jerked back and sprung up.

Trying to not groan from the sudden loss of his lips, Felicity covered her ears with her hands and tried to ask over the noise:

'What is that!?'

Oliver didn't look at her, his head swivelling around the room. Instead held his hand out to help her up and as soon as she was standing, he said:

'It's the security system. Someone just crossed into the perimeter.'

Finally looking at her, he said:

'Felicity, I need you to listening to me very carefully. We don't have a lot of time. That alarm means someone found us. I need you to promise me that you will do whatever I tell you to do.'

Felicity nodded.

'Okay, I promise.'

'That includes running and leaving me if I tell you to. You run as fast as you can towards the nearest house and get help, do you understand?'

'What, no, I can't do that!'

Taking her by the shoulders, Oliver continued

'My job here is to keep you safe, and we don't have a time to argue about it. If I say run, you run. Promise me. Please.'

Felicity looked at Oliver, his eyes pleading with her. Finally, she nodded.

'Okay, good. Now, we should...'

Oliver was cut off by a loud crash coming from upstairs. Oliver turned towards the sound, pushing Felicity behind his body. At the same time the front door burst open and two masked men spilled into the room. Oliver stepped away from her and threw himself at the men, swinging at the man in front. His fist connected with the man's jaw, the man taking a step back, into his companion. Felicity could just make out a commotion from upstairs where she assumed whoever had broken through had found Dig.

While Oliver was trying to subdue the men, Felicity looked around the room, trying to find any kind of weapon. Her eyes landed on the poker by the fireplace. Felicity picked it up and swung back to the fight in the doorway. Oliver seemed to be doing okay, until one of the men landed a well-timed blow to his mid-section. Oliver doubled over, his breath whooshing out. In the split second it took for him to right himself, one of the men slipped past him and headed straight for Felicity. Felicity took a small step backwards, holding the fire poker in front of her. She couldn't see the man's face, but his eyes left her chilled. She only saw malice in the brown slits that were pointed at her. As he took another step towards her, Felicity swung the poker with all her might. The poker made contact with his shoulder and Felicity felt a moment of satisfaction at his grunt of pain, the man taking a surprised step back. Before she could congratulate herself, she heard Oliver yelling:

'Felicity, run!'

She hesitated only a second before spinning on her heel and ran towards the door in the small kitchen. She was a few steps from it when she felt a hand close around her arm, trying to pull her back. Felicity eyes spun around the room, trying to find something, anything to help. She flung her hand out as she spotted the half-filled coffee pot on the counter. Using the momentum of the man pulling her back, she swung the pot for his face. The pot connected and broke, pouring coffee over her pursuer. The man screamed and let go of Felicity, his hands going to his face. Felicity spun back towards the door. Her hand was on the knob of the door when it suddenly opened from the outside. In the door was filled with a third masked man.

Felicity took a few cautious steps back into the room until she collided with a solid body behind her. Felicity stiffened and turned slowly. The man she had hid with the coffee pot was standing between her and the living room. He had taken his mask off and there was a jagged cut on his cheek. Felicity's blood ran cold when she glanced down and saw a knives in his hand.

'You're going to pay for that girly.'

Felicity turned and backed towards the counter, furiously trying to think of a way out. Looking to her side, Felicity saw the third man had stepped into the kitchen and she was now trapped between them. The man with the knife stepped forward and raised his hand. A sudden bang made Felicity jump. The man stopped, a surprised look on his face. Slowly, he looked down at his chest, before falling to his knees. Felicity looked up from where he was now lying on the ground and saw Oliver, a gun trained at the second man in the kitchen. A cut on his eyebrow was bleeding and there was a bruise already forming on his jaw. He had never looked better to Felicity. Felicity was not sure where the man he had been fighting was, but she didn't really care.

'Keeps your hands were I can see them.'

He sounded slightly breathless.

Oliver took a step into the kitchen, his one hand keeping the gun trained on the masked man and reached towards Felicity with the other.

'Felicity'

Felicity did not need another invitation and cautiously stepped around the man on the ground. As soon as her hand made contact with his, he pulled her behind him. Not taking his eyes off the man in the kitchen, he asked:

'Are you hurt?'

'No, I don't think so. Are you okay, you're bleeding?'

Oliver released a breath and squeezed her hand before replacing his hand on the gun.

'It's nothing. Dig is in the living room, can you please go in there. He'll explain how you can make a call to the head office. I think the FBI will have a few questions for this gentleman.'

****


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well guys, we're at the end  
> I still have to reply to a few comments, but I would just (again) like to say this:  
> Thank you!  
> Thank you to everyone who read  
> Thank you to everyone who left a kudos  
> Thank you to everyone who left a comment, telling me what you liked and what didn't work.  
> I appreciate each and every one of you.   
> Thank you for being part of this little adventure and I hope the ending is everything you hoped it would be.  
> Until the next fic, enjoy!

** Chapter 10 **

_You are the only one  
The only that sees me  
That trusts me and believes me  
_ _( **Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee**_

Felicity had found Dig in the living room, busy restraining the man that Oliver had fought. He did not seem to badly hurt either, but Felicity did see a cut under one of his eyes. He had explained to Felicity how to call in the cavalry and ten minutes later the small cabin was flooded with FBI agents and paramedics. They had checked Felicity over, other than an impressive bruise on her arm, she was unhurt. As soon as they cleared her, Felicity went to find Oliver. When she saw him, Felicity released a sigh of relieve. She had walked over to the ambulance and she sat down next to Oliver as his cut was being treated. Dig and an unfamiliar woman found them sitting at the back of the ambulance a few minutes later.

'Felicity, I'd like you to meet AD Lyla Michaels. Agent Michaels, Felicity Smoak.'

'Miss Smoak, I'm happy to see you're okay.'

'Thank you. What happened? How did they find us? And for that matter, who are “they”?'

'I'll start with your last question first: Damien Darhk. He is head of an organization known as Hive. The last two days, your father has been working with us to locate and apprehend him and the members of Hive. We did take his advice and did not keep the information of where your mother and you were being kept in any digital format, especially after we found out who his replacement was. Cayden James has been on our radar even longer than your father, so we were not taking any chances.'

Felicity's eyebrows sprung into her hairline.

'Cayden James? I've heard of him, anyone who has been in the hacking community has heard of him, but I though he was just a myth.'

Realising what she had just admitted, Felicity's eyes widened.

'Not that I have ever been involved with hacking. Hacking is bad, very, very bad.'

Agent Michaels simply raised an eyebrow, smiled and continued:

'Your father also warned us that there was a very good chance that we would have a mole in our office, as Hive have people in most law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately he did not know who it was, and it took us some time to root out the mole. By the time we figured it out, he had already found out where you were and informed Darhk. We were already on our way to your mother and your safe houses when you contacted the head office.'

Felicity sprang up from her seat as fear washed through her.

'Is my mom okay? Did you get there in time? Please tell me my mom's okay!'

Agent Michaels held up one hand up before saying.

'Your mother is fine. One of the agents that was protecting your mother was shot, but he'll be okay. It seems your mother is quiet the fighter herself. When the agents arrived, your mother was busy beating him over the head with one of her shoes. I imagine her attacker was seriously regretting his life decisions.'

Felicity sagged back next to Oliver.

'Oh thank Google. I suppose you can't spend fifteen years as a cocktail waitress in Vegas without learning to take care of yourself.'

Agent Michaels smiled and continued:

'No, I don't suppose you do.'

'So what now? Did you find Darhk? Is it safe to go home yet?'

'We did, yes. There was an operation this afternoon and Mr Darhk and most of his associates have been apprehended. There are still a few members that we need to round up, but the organization has been essentially dismantled. As for going home, we will need you to return to the head office to give a statement, but when you're done there, then yes, Miss Smoak, you can return home. We will assign an agent to watch your home while we apprehend the last of the Hive members, but you should be more than safe. I imagine they’ll be a bit more occupied with trying to avoid getting captured than with coming after you or your mother.'

'Wow. Thanks great, I guess. Would it be possible to talk to my mother? Not that I don't believe you when you say that she's okay, but I'd really like to just hear her voice.'

'Of course, you should be able to contact her by the time that you are done at the head office. And Miss Smoak, Agent Diggle has shown me the information that you decrypted. Thank you for that, we'll be able to close quite a few cases with that information. You know, we're always looking for talented people at the bureau. If you ever decide to go into law enforcement, give me a call.'

'I'll keep that in mind, thank you. I do have just one more question. Why Starling?'

'From what we've been able to determine, Starling was their trial run. The plan was to hold the city hostage and if they were successful there, they would move on to Central City, Coastal City, New York.'

'That is..., I don't even know what that is'

'Yes, indeed.'

Agent Michaels looked over at Diggle where he had been standing silently next to her.

'Johnny, I need your report on what happened here today.'

Felicity's head whipped towards Oliver, her mouth falling open. She mouthed: ' _Johnny?'_

He chuckled softly, but did not explain.

'Oliver, same goes for you. I expect it on my desk by tomorrow morning.'

'Yes ma'am.'

Agent Michaels nodded to Felicity as a goodbye and walked away, Diggle following close behind.

'Johnny? What was that? Who was that?'

'That was our boss and also John's wife.'

'Wow, he was not kidding when he said his wife understood the job.'

'He really wasn't.'

It was another two hours before Felicity, Oliver and Diggle got into a black SUV and headed back to Starling City. By that time Felicity was fighting to keep her eyes open. The adrenaline that had flooded her earlier had completely drained from her system and it left her exhausted. They had not even left Bloomfield when her head lolled against Oliver's shoulder.

She slept undisturbed for the first time in two days and only woke when Oliver gentle nudged her shoulder.

'Felicity. Felicity, we're here.'

Felicity blinked up at Oliver, confused.

'Oh, okay, good. Where is here again?'

'At the Starling headquarters. You just have to give your statement, then I can take you home.'

'Right, yes, statement. I can do that.'

Felicity unbuckled and followed Oliver into the building. As they stepped into the elevator, Felicity could hardly believe that she had been here only two days before. With everything that had happened, it felt so much longer.

The statement process was surprisingly painless, and before she knew it, the agent she had been talking to, told her that she could go. Stepping out of the room, Felicity saw Oliver leaning against the wall, John standing next to him chatting. Oliver pushed away from the wall and they both smiled when they saw her.

'Hey. All done?'

'Hey yourself. Yes, according to Agent Gunn here, I'm all done.'

'Good. I've got a little gift for you.'

Tilting her head at John, Felicity asked:

'Really. Is it my birthday?'

Chuckling, John held a plastic zip lock bag out to her. When she saw what was in the bag, Felicity squealed. Eagerly she took the bag from John and held it close to her chest.

'My babies. You brought me my babies. You wonderful, wonderful man. Thank you.'

'You're welcome. In exactly the same condition you gave them to me, as promised.'

'That's good, now I don’t have to destroy your credit record. So glad it didn't come to that.'

'Me too. Also, I have spoken to one of the agents at the Vegas office, they are still taking your mother’s statement, but they should be done soon. You should be able to talk to her very soon.'

‘I’ve lost track of the amount of times I’ve said this, but thank you John.’

‘You’re welcome. Now, are you ready to go home?’

‘Yes, I am.’

‘Great, lead the way.’

Felicity looked between John and Oliver.

‘You’re taking me home?’

John looked at Oliver before answering:

‘We’re the ones who picked you up, we wanted to be the ones to take you back home.’

Felicity felt a swell of affection for both the two men standing in front of them. She could not think of anything to say, so she nodded and started down the now somewhat familiar hallway.

The ride back to her apartment was silent, and Felicity sat looking out of the window, thinking about the last two days. She still was not entirely sure what to do about her father, but she knew that something had shifted in her. She did want to talk to her mother about it and hopefully Donna would be able to help her decide.

It wasn’t long until they stopped in front of her apartment, Oliver opening her door and holding out his hand to help her out of the SUV. Felicity unbuckled and took his hand, thinking that she could definitely get use to the feel of her hand in his. John was at the back of the SUV, getting her bags as she rounded the car. Taking her bag from him, Felicity said:

‘I have to say that I am going to miss having dinner with you two.’

‘You are making it sound like you’ll never see us again. Did I forget to mention that I am one of the agents assigned to you?’

Felicity placed her bag on the ground next to her and looked up at John, surprised.

‘Really.’

‘Really. Figured you would prefer someone you knew watching your back. I’ll be here first thing Monday morning. Although, there is always the possibility that it won’t be necessary by then, we’ve got agents working on finding the last members of Hive even now.’

John pointed to a black car across the road.

‘Until then Agent Gunn will be right there.’

‘That’s great. At least it should make it feel less like that Lacrosse player in college.’

‘So, I’ll see you Monday. And even if I don’t, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you sooner rather than later.’ John’s eyes landed on Oliver before he turned and close the boot of the SUV.

Felicity could feel her cheeks warming as Oliver coughed softly behind her.

‘I, uh, I should get inside. I am looking forward to a very long, very hot bath. Right after I call my mom. That should be a fun phone call.’

Chuckling, John stuck out his hand towards Felicity.

‘You do that. Felicity, it’s been a pleasure to meet you.’

Felicity considered his hand for a moment and then she stepped forward. Taking hold of his suit lapel, she raised on her tiptoes, pulling John down and kissed him on his cheek.

‘At the risk of sounding like a broken record, thank you for everything John. I’ll see you Monday.’

‘Goodbye Felicity.’

‘Bye John.’

Felicity turned to pick up her bag, but Oliver already had it in his hand. He gestured to her door and with a small wave, Felicity started heading towards her apartment.

Oliver stood next to her silently as she unlocked the door and then put her bag down right inside the door. Felicity turned as soon as she was inside and leaned against the door, looking at Oliver.

‘So, what are you planning on doing after the very long, very hot bath?’

‘Honestly, I haven’t really planned past that. And you, anything to look forward to?’

‘Other than going to see my sister, it seems my week has been cleared.’

‘Really? Don’t you have a report to hand in?’

‘All done, I did it while you were giving your statement.’

‘Wait, you said your week has been cleared?’

‘Yeah, administrative leave. Standard procedure after any shooting while on duty. So, I was wondering if you would be interested in a low key dinner. Or lunch. With me.’

‘Dinner? Haven’t we been doing that the last three night?’

‘We have, but this time it will be just you and me.’

‘Just us. Like a date? A date, date?’

Smiling, Oliver reached over and took one of her hands in his, watching her hand as it sat in his.

‘Yes, Felicity, like a date.’

Oliver looked up, right into her eyes, smiling shyly.

‘We won’t be able to go out yet, but I could come over some time and bring some food. Or make you something. Does that sound like something you would be interested in?’

Felicity could feel the smile on her face grow and instead of answering him, she stepped forward, placed her other hand behind his neck and pulled him towards her. As soon as her lips touched his, Oliver placed his other arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. The kiss was sweet, chaste and over much too soon.

‘Can I take that as a yes?’

‘Yes Oliver, I would be very interested in a dinner date. With you.’

‘Really?’

‘Really, when did you have in mind?’

‘Tomorrow? You decide the time.’

‘Five? That way I’ll have some time to catch up on what I missed the last two days.’

‘Great, any requests?’

‘Don’t take this the wrong way, you make a really great dinner, but I would love some Big Belly.’

Chuckling, Oliver nodded.

‘I can definitely make that happen. Okay, great, I’ll see you then. Bye Felicity’

‘Can’t wait. Bye Oliver.’

Oliver leaned down and placed another sweet kiss on her lips, before turning around and walking back to the car. He turned back and looked at her before getting in the car, giving her a final smile, with Dig waiting patiently in the driver’s seat. Felicity watched the SUV drive away before closing and locking her door. She leaned against the door for a moment, and then, taking a deep breath, Felicity called her mother.


	11. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!  
> When I finished my planning for this fic I did have 10 chapters planned. But then 7 bled into 8, 8 into 9 and I ended with 10 chapters, but without the epilogue I wanted.  
> Which left me with a decision: change the amount of chapters on the fic  
> OR  
> Keep the epilogue as a little bonus chapter.  
> And here we are.  
> So, without further ado: enjoy!

** Epilogue **

_You are the only one  
The only that sees me  
That trusts me and believes me_

_You are the only one  
The only one that knows me  
And in the dark you show me  
It's perfectly reckless  
Damn you leave me defenceless  
So break in  
Break in_

_  
_ _( **Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee)**_

Oliver Queen had known many beautiful women in his life. So many, in fact, that he was embarrassed to admit, he had forgotten half of their names. Some he never even knew before taking them home, but if he was being completely honest, not one of them had managed to leave the kind of impression on him that Felicity Smoak has. Oliver leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest, considering the woman in question, a content smile on his lips. Felicity was dressed in pyjama bottoms and a tank top, on her tip toes, trying to reach something in the kitchen cupboard. Her hair was still messy from sleeping, and Oliver had never seen anything more beautiful.

It only took one day spent in her company to know he would never be able to forget her. As he watched her in their kitchen now, Oliver could not help to think about how they came to be here.

He could still vividly remember the adorable look on her face as she opened the door on that Wednesday morning. He remembers the way his heart had clenched at the sight of her looking lost as she received the news that the father that had abandoned her, had not only walked back into her life, but brought danger with him. He can still recall how impressed he was when she simply got up and informed him that she wanted answers. How instead of letting the weight of what her father was involved in drag her under, she took everything in stride and helped them, and as a result, closed a number of open cases.

All of that paled in comparison with what she did after.

Oliver spent most of the first weekend after returning to Starling, with Felicity. He showed up fifteen minutes early to their dinner date. They spend the evening talking, laughing, and watching a movie. And a very enjoyable half hour making out. He was back the next day. And the next. By the end of the weekend, Oliver knew he was done for. He had never been good at taking things slow, but with Felicity he cherished getting to know her even more. He relished it, storing every new piece of information away like a treasure. And the more he knew, the more he wanted to know. It was not long before he was spending most of his free time with Felicity. She had become ingrained into his life, and Oliver had never been happier.

So much happier that Thea started commenting on it, regularly. Introducing his sister to the woman in his life had never been important to Oliver before, as he never expected them to be around long enough for it to matter. That changed with Felicity. As soon as he realized how much he wanted Felicity in his life, Oliver could hardly wait to introduce the two most important women in his life. To say that Thea was surprised to meet a woman he was dating, was an understatement. But it was not long before Thea was as thoroughly enamoured by Felicity. By the end of their first dinner together, Thea had made plans with Felicity for lunch and their relationship had since grown into a true sisterhood. It made Oliver so much more content, if not a little bit scared, to see them together. In fact, Oliver is pretty sure his sister would make his life very difficult if he somehow managed to screw things up with Felicity.

About a month after Oliver dropped her back at the apartment, Felicity went to see her father. Noah had been offered a position as a consultant with the FBI as part of his sentence. Felicity had never told him everything that was said, but she did say that she had decided to forgive her father. It took time, but they started rebuilding their relationship. Even Donna seemed to accept it, not willing to stand in the way of anything that made Felicity happy. Thinking about Donna made his smile grow even bigger.

Two weeks after the last of the Hive members had been captured, Donna Smoak came to visit. Oliver soon discovered where the steel core he admired in Felicity came from. As much as Donna was smiles and cocktail dresses, she was not to be messed with. Raising Felicity as a single parent made her resourceful, caring and stronger than a lot of people Oliver knew. Felicity might share her love and talent with computers with her father, but her strength and determination came from Donna. Oliver grew very fond of Donna, very quickly and he came to really look forward to her regular visits.

That strength and determination helped in the following months. Felicity had not taken Lyla up on her offer to work for the FBI, but she did eventually work with them. Felicity spend another three months working before deciding to use some of the money Noah had given her as seed money for her own company. With the help from her partner, Curtis Holt, they started developing security systems and acting as IT consultants, but it was not long until their products covered as range of uses. Some of SmaokTech designs had even made their way onto FBI, SCPD and Army equipment. With their help, the Starling FBI electronic division became one of the best in the country.

Oliver pushed away from the door frame, crossing to where Felicity was still reaching into the cupboard. As he got closer, he could hear her mumbling under her breath. Reaching her, he placed his hands on her waist, making Felicity jump, a surprised ‘yelp’ leaving her lips. Chuckling, Oliver banded his arms around her middle, pulling her body against his. Felicity leaned into him as he placed a quick succession of kisses along her jaw before nuzzling his nose into her neck. Felicity crossed her arms over his and turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder.

‘What did I tell you about using those ninja skills against me?’

‘I have no idea what you are talking about. I was just coming over to see if you needed some help getting… whatever you were trying to get’ Oliver widen his eyes innocently, looking at Felicity with his chin resting on her shoulder.

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him, but it wasn’t long before she gave it up. Turning, she clasped her hands behind his neck and reached up to lay her lips on his. Oliver hummed as her lips moved over his in a now familiar way. He had kissed Felicity a million times the thrill of it never dulling.

Felicity pulled back slightly, eyes still closed, a content smile on her lips.

‘Good morning’ she said, her lips still so close that he could feel the movement against his own.

‘It really is.’ Oliver placed another small kiss on her lips before remarking:

‘You’re up early’

Scrunching up her nose, Felicity dropped down on her feet and rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him.

‘I know. I think I finally figured out how to make the T-spheres interface with the chemical detection programming, and you know how I get when I get a breakthrough.’

Taking his eyes of her for just long enough to look at the cupboard before flicking them down to Felicity.

‘I know you’re the tech genius in the house, but I’m pretty sure the solution is not up there.’

Giving him a sheepish smile, Felicity wrapped her arms around his waist.

‘Not the solution, but a little help to get me there. I may have noticed a certain sugary goodness-filled cereal in the cupboard last week…’

‘Really. And how would it have gotten there?’

Widening her eyes innocently, Felicity shrugged.

‘Cereal fairies? Only, they must have miscalculated with their delivery and placed it on the top shelve.’ Felicity blinked up at him.

Oliver laughed and placed a kiss on her forehead. He stepped around Felicity, reached into the cupboard, retrieved the box and placed it on the counter. Turning to her, he leaned back against the counter.

‘Well, let it never be said that I stood in the way of progress.’

Felicity rose up on her toes again to place a quick kiss on his lips before snatching the box and practically bouncing back to the table where her laptop was.

‘Have I told you how much I love you, you wonderful, beautiful, tall man.’

She grab a handful of dry cereal and placed it in her mouth before sitting down at the laptop and typing.

‘Not today. Would you like some coffee to go with the sugar high?’

‘Hon, when it comes to coffee, just like with you, the answer will always be yes.’

Felicity’s eyes flew to him as she lifted her hand, wiggling her ring finger with her new engagement ring, before resuming her typing. Oliver filled a cup, added sugar and milk and placed it next to her.

‘In that order, huh? Good to know where I rank.’

‘It’s not a completion. I love you both equally.’

Oliver laughed and left her to continue working as he started making breakfast. By the time he was done, he could hear Felicity on the phone, explaining to Curtis what she had done. She hung up the phone as he placed a plate on the dining room table. He was refilling her cup when she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, kissed his shoulder and accepted the cup from him. Oliver took his own cup and followed her to the table. They ate in silence for a while, Oliver enjoying the simple routine they had established.

Felicity was sipping her coffee when Oliver asked:

‘What time is your mom getting in?’

‘Her flight lands at 10. She’s heading straight to the mansion. I am not ashamed to admit that I am low grade terrified by the idea of an engagement party being thrown by my mother and your sister.’

‘You are not the only one. If it makes you feel any better, Thea did promise to keep it small, intimate and elegant.’

‘Elegant I believe, what worries me is that my definition of small and intimate is not the same as your sister’s definition.’

Oliver pushed his plate back and turned to face her. He got up from his chair, placed his hand on either side of Felicity’s chair and leaned forward. He laid a soft kiss on her lips before travelling down to her jaw and speaking between kisses, said:

‘We could always just skip the party. Celebrate on our own.’

Felicity put her cup down and wrapped her arms around his neck.

‘I like the way you think…’

‘Why do I hear a “but”?’

‘But, if we miss this party, we’ll have to move. Possibly leave the country. I like our house and we’ve just unpacked the last box.’

Chuckling, Oliver stopped his slow route down her neck and looked at Felicity. They had been living in the mansion until about a month ago. After discussing it with his sister as well, they decided they were going to buy a house of their own, that they wanted a place that was theirs to start building their new life in. The brown stone was one of the first they saw and Felicity had fallen in love with the place the second they walked through the double front door. Frankly, he didn’t care if they lived in a treehouse in the middle of the jungle, as long as Felicity was with him, but when he saw how her face had lit up he knew they were home.

‘Fair point. I, for one, do not want to be on the receiving end of either my sister or your mother’s bad side. Guess we’re going to have to go.’ Oliver sighed dramatically.

‘No choice really. However, seeing as the party is a good 6 hours away, and I now have nothing to do until then… ‘Felicity wiggled her eyebrows at him with a cheeky smile.

Oliver’s smiled grew as he placed a soft kiss on her lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and straightened, taking her with him. Felicity giggled as she tightened her arms around his neck. As he started walking them back to the room, Oliver said:

‘I am a fan of how your mind works, Miss Smoak. Big fan.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:  
> I do not own any of the characters, or the song that helped to take this fic from idea to what it is today. (again, give it a listen if you haven't, it's a great song)
> 
> (Break In – Halestorm ft Amy Lee)  
> Songwriters: Robert Graves / Lizzy Hale / Mark Holman / Aimee Proal

**Author's Note:**

> A few disclaimers:  
> Everything I know about the FBI is from movie and TV, so if anything is unrealistic/impractical/completely wrong, please bare with me. Same with coding/encryptions/decryption.  
> I of course do not own these characters, I just like putting them in different situations and seeing how they come out of them.  
> I'm still learning about tagging/warnings, so if there are any that I missed, feel free to leave a comment, and I will happily add them. That being said, some of the tags will only be added in later chapters, so as to not give the story away to much  
> I am not great at keeping to posting schedules, but I am going to attempt to post a chapter every few days.


End file.
